If an Implant Fails
The signs that an implant is in difficulty, the three usual causes, what can and can't be rescued, and what a repair involves, no matter where the implant was placed.
Can a Failed or Failing Dental Implant Be Saved or Replaced?
Caught early, a failing implant can often be kept, usually by treating the infected gum around it or adjusting a crown that's carrying too much force. Once an implant has lost its hold in the bone, it's taken out, the area is left to heal, often with a graft, and a replacement goes in a few months afterwards. At Lanark Smile Studios we'll assess a troublesome implant wherever it was placed, whether here, elsewhere in Scotland or overseas. The consultation is free, and a CT scan, if needed, is £160.
Implant, Abutment or Crown?
Our first job is to work out which part is causing trouble, because each one leads to a very different answer. An implant is made of three parts: the titanium post fixed in the bone, a connecting piece called the abutment, and the crown on top, normally held together by a small screw.
When a tooth on an implant moves, the culprit is often a screw that has loosened while the implant stays perfectly firm. Tightening or replacing it takes a short visit. A crown that's chipped or cracked can be swapped for a new one on the same implant. The implant itself is only failing when the post moves in the bone or the bone around it is being lost.
Signs to Look Out For
- Gum around the implant that bleeds on brushing, looks red or swollen, or oozes
- A bad taste or smell from one area that brushing won't shift
- Pain when you bite on the tooth, or a dull ache that flares and fades
- The gum receding until grey metal begins to show
- Any movement in the tooth, even a little
- Bone loss showing on X-rays taken at a routine dental examination, frequently with no symptoms
Have any of these checked without delay. The sooner a problem is found, the better the odds of saving the implant.
Something Not Right with an Implant?
Book a free assessment with Dr Kalsi in Lanark. Bring any records you have, and the name of the implant system if you know it.
The Three Main Causes
Implants have a strong record of lasting, so it's unusual for one to fail. When one does, the cause nearly always falls into one of three groups.
| Problem | Timing | Usual reasons |
|---|---|---|
| The implant doesn't fuse | Within the first weeks or months | Infection while healing, bone too thin or too soft, the implant being disturbed or loaded too early, smoking |
| Peri-implantitis | Months or years afterwards | Plaque at the gum line inflaming first the gum and then the bone; likelier with past gum disease, smoking or missed hygiene appointments |
| Overload | At any point after the crown is fitted | Grinding, a bite that's out of balance, or too few implants carrying too many teeth |
Planning has a bearing on all three. An implant set at the wrong angle, or too near the edge of the bone, has less support from the start. That's why Dr Kalsi plans every implant here on a CT scan and uses a 3D-printed guide with the MegaGen R2 system to put it in place.
How We Assess It
First we ask when the implant was placed, who placed it, what brand it is if you know, and what has changed. Then we look at the gum, the crown and the way your teeth meet, and take a CT scan (£160). Unlike a flat X-ray, the scan reliably shows how much bone surrounds the implant in three dimensions.
Then we explain plainly what's going on and what your realistic choices are, including anything we'd steer you away from. The assessment costs nothing, and you'll have the £20 booking deposit back within 7 days. Where the implant was placed makes no difference.
Keeping the Implant
Found early, inflamed gum around an implant often settles after a thorough professional clean of the implant, improved brushing at home and, in some cases, an antibiotic or mouthwash. A loose screw gets replaced. A crown that's taking too much force can be reshaped or made again, and if you grind at night a night guard (£210) protects it.
After that, Fiona Dyer, our hygienist, can see you every three months to keep the area healthy, and small X-rays over time show whether the bone level has settled.
Replacing the Implant
- Taking it out. A loose implant usually comes out without difficulty under local anaesthetic, and IV sedation is available.
- Cleaning and rebuilding. Infection is cleared from the site and, if bone has been lost, a graft is placed to restore it.
- Healing. Normally a few months. Meanwhile a front gap can be filled by a bonded bridge (£675) or a temporary denture (£495).
- Fresh planning. A new CT scan, and a new implant position chosen for the bone as it is now.
- The new implant and crown. Placed through a guide, then given its crown once it has fused.
A replacement implant has a good chance of success, as long as whatever caused the first failure, whether smoking, gum disease or the bite, is tackled beforehand. The rebuilding stage is covered in our bone grafting guide.
Repair Costs
If we placed the implant, our 5-year guarantee for non-smokers who attend hygiene visits every 3 months applies, under the terms set out in your consent form.
If it was placed somewhere else, the cost depends on what the scan shows, and you'll get a written plan before anything is done. As a rough guide, a new implant and crown starts at £2,775, a small graft is £535 and a large one £998, and IV sedation is £500 a session.
One practical point: a new crown on an existing implant needs parts made for that same system. Tell us the brand if you know it. If you don't, we can often work it out from X-rays, though some less common systems have no UK supplier.
Implants From Abroad
Implants placed in Turkey, Hungary or anywhere else are assessed in exactly the same way. The problems are the ones any implant can have, though one comes up more than others: permanent teeth attached before the implants had fused with the bone. Our guide to implants abroad or in Scotland explains what we can and can't put right, and why.
Reducing the Risk
- Give up smoking, ideally before treatment and permanently after it
- Clean round every implant each day with interdental brushes, plus a water flosser under a bridge
- Attend a hygiene appointment every three months, which catches inflammation while it can still be reversed
- If your teeth show wear from grinding, sleep in a night guard
- Contact us early about bleeding, tenderness or anything that feels loose
There's more on daily care in our guide to how long implants last.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.